Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Jye Caldwell and Cale Hooker are in the selection frame for Sunday's elimination final against the Western Bulldogs after impressing in a scratch match against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.

The trio were among 15 Bombers who featured in a 16-a-side match played over 80 minutes against the Giants in windy conditions at the NEC Hangar.

Essendon has been without McDonald-Tipungwuti for its past two games after opting to manage the livewire forward, who has undergone a heavy training block in a bid to recapture his best form.

The 28-year-old showed positive signs on Sunday, splitting his time between midfield and forward.

"He (McDonald-Tipungwuti) ended up playing the whole game and then did some running after it. It was a pretty big effort and he's in a high work phase at the moment," VFL senior coach Leigh Tudor said.

"He had some fun out there and kicked a couple of goals, set up a couple and looked very dangerous when he had the ball. It was a really windy day, but he was probably the one bloke who shone in tough conditions.

"He was elite with his ball use and got everything he needed to out of it."

After returning from a long-term hamstring injury in a scratch match against Sydney last week, tough on-baller Caldwell stepped up his game-time against his old side.

"He (Caldwell) went well again. He pretty much played the whole game and was interchanging a bit with 'Walla' (McDonald-Tipungwuti) through midfield and half-forward," Tudor said.

"He was really good below his knees, won his own ball, was hard in the contest and used the ball really well. Like Walla, he laid a couple of big tackles and defended pretty well."

Despite announcing his retirement last week, Hooker could add to his 219 games should the Bombers opt to call on the veteran in their upcoming finals series.

The 32-year-old, who has booted 33 goals this season, looked dangerous against the Giants and looms as a tall option for the Bombers after young forward Harrison Jones was ruled out for the rest of the season.

"'Hooksy' kicked three and was a good target for us. It was probably just a tiny bit easier for forwards with only five backs down there, so they were able to find more space," Tudor said.

"He had a great attitude, worked pretty hard and got some good results. He did everything he needed to.

"All the three boys got through the game well. It was a tough game to play as it was really, really windy. It was a high-standard game and the GWS boys had a real crack. It was good to watch again."

Other Bombers in action who have featured at senior level this season included Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Martin Gleeson, David Zaharakis, Andrew Phillips, Nick Bryan and Ned Cahill.

Essendon will name its 26-man elimination final squad on Thursday evening, with the final 22 to be revealed at 5pm AEST on Friday.